Stories about Arts & Culture from November, 2013
A Durian Village In Sri Lanka
In Southern parts of Sri Lanka the cultivation of Durian, regarded by many in southeast Asia as the “king of fruits”, is becoming popular as it has export demands. The Sri Lanka Ministry of Agriculture has taken steps to commercially cultivate Durian, reports Ajith Parakum Jayasinghe. A 30-acre Durian village...
Dubai Wins the Expo 2020!
Dubai has been selected to host the World Expo trade convention in 2020. The Twittersphere celebrates.
Fashion Show in Japan Takes on Violence Against Women
Asian Women’s Association, a non-profit women's right organization is organizing a fashion show entitled Fashion Resistance to Militarism to appeal the issue of violence against women.
Red Square's Makeover: Goodbye, Lenin. Hello, Louis Vuitton!
Lenin’s Mausoleum is no longer the most imposing structure in Moscow’s Red Square. From now until January 19, that honor belongs to a 20-foot-tall Louis Vuitton advertisement.
‘People That Look Like Themselves': A Comic that Celebrates Natural Black Hair
Angolan artist Francisca Nzenze Meireles, aka Chiquinha, discusses the inspiration for her comic, which relates the day-to-day experiences of those who love their naturally curly hair.
PHOTOS: Dhaka's Beautiful Blue Sky Briefly Takes Over Web
The autumn sky above Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka was so beautiful on 17 November that social media was flooded with images and talk about the scene.
Japan's Independent Tofu Makers Are Rapidly Disappearing
Japan's traditional tofu makers, trying to compete with low supermarket prices, are on the verge of extinction.
Cuban Intellectuals Debate the Prohibition of 3D Private Cinemas on the Island
Cuba's 3D cinemas, run by the private sector, have been banned.
South Korea: Suffering of the Sacrificial ‘Wide Goose Fathers’
‘Wide Goose Father’ is a commonly-used term in South Korea referring to sacrificial fathers who send their wife and children abroad for better education, but themselves remain in South Korea to work and cover all the expenses. The number of wild goose fathers has been steadily increasing over the years...
Taiwan: Virgin Mary With an Aboriginal Face Tattoo
It is not difficult to find a tattoo figure of Blessed Virgin Mary, but a statue of Blessed Virgin Mary with facial tattoo is rarely seen.
‘Japanese Banksy’ Bashes Nuclear Industry With Street Art
Anonymous Japanese street artist 281_Anti Nuke takes inspiration from his British counterpart Banksy to take on Tokyo Electric Power Company, the operator of the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima prefecture. You can see more of 281_Anti Nuke's works on his website.
Persistent Stereotypes, Latent Prejudices: Black Characters in Brazilian Comics
"The representation is not yet ideal," researcher Luis Henrique said about black characters in Brazilian comic books. Global Voices interviewed him about his work.
Croatian Activists Protest Concert of Nationalist Rock Band in Zagreb
These signs were placed on the Hall of Sports in Zagreb by Croatian activists just days before Thompson, a Croatian rock band, held their concert there on Saturday, November 16. The band bears its name after the nickname of their lead singer, Marko Perković, received during service in the military...
Discovering the Bouquinistes of Colombo
Paris may be famous for its bouquinistes, stalls selling second hand and antiquarian books lining the banks of the River Seine, but Colombo also has them. They don’t line the banks of the Beira Lake and tourists seldom find them but they are invaluable for the traveller. In this lovely...
Will Russia’s Scrotum Revolt Join Pussy Riot in Prison?
Petr Pavlensky, the political artist who recently nailed his scrotum the pavement in Red Square, now faces the same “hooliganism” charges at the center of the Pussy Riot trial.
Jamaica: Police Painting Out Murals
Many will say the murals are merely ‘a glorification of criminals’ and should be defaced for fear of their ‘grave effects’ on ‘poor Jamaicans’ [but]…How does a profoundly corrupt state determine criminality? A really interesting post by Active Voice about the police embracing iconoclasm as a crime strategy.
South Koreans Furious Over Never-Ending Crappy Soap Opera
Although K-drama (South Korean soap opera) seems doing well internationally, South Koreans’ discontent and complaints on its repeated patterns and cliched scenarios and characters are bubbling under. Recently, as major network TV, KBS decided to extend a poorly-written soap opera ‘Princess Aurora’ which many call an ‘insult to viewers’ intelligence’,...
Tunisian Rap Song Turns into an Anthem for Youth
With more than 3 million views on YouTube, the video rap song Houmani has become an anthem for Tunisian youth. Afef Abrougui tells us why.
Yemenis Looking for Action: TEDxSanaa 2013
Under the theme Actions Matter, TedxSanaa kicks off today. Noon Arabia takes a closer look.
Yemen's Oud Criminal
Yemeni musician Ahmed Alshaiba shows off his Oud skills in a new video released on YouTube. Find out why Yemenis are so proud of the achievement.
Justin Bieber's Graffiti Sparks Protests by Colombian Graffiti Artists
The police, who protected the singer while he sprayed graffiti, were heavily criticized, since a police officer is on trial for the murder of a young graffiti artist in Bogota.
